When I sat down to write this blog, I didn’t have a clear topic in my mind. So, I did what I usually do when I want to think and looked out my office window. Through this window, I can see just the tops of three oak trees which today were covered with crows. I counted more than two dozen with more constantly coming and going. And I knew fall was well and truly upon us. Where I’m located in Galesburg, in West Central Illinois, we are known for trains but in the fall the crows come “home” to...

We call anything an animal leaves behind a sign. It could be a broken branch, a footprint, a scrape on the ground or tree, a nest or other home, their own fur, or even animal parts from their last meal. Of all the signs scattered for our inquiry as to what or why, the scat is my favorite and a most appreciated indicator as to who has been there. You need not have anything but a firm stick from the ground to investigate it fully. The Science of Scatology Scatology, the study...

Spring is the season of new beginnings. Wildlife baby season in Illinois starts as early as February when great horned owls lay their eggs and frogs begin to call. Coyote pups are born in March and soon a flurry of animals continue courting, mating, and preparing for what will be the next generation of their species.  Every spring, people must battle nature vs. nuture when coming across new offspring. I am not going to tell you to simply let nature take its course (though that is the...